Don't Say a Word
by RockerLane1110
Summary: Sequel to Someone to Lean On. When will it end? he said. Sometimes you have to make your own ending, she answered.
1. Reunion

**Chapter One- Reunion**

**Author's Note: I LIVE!!! And no one cares. Anyways, this is the sequel to _Someone to Lean On_ the story full of angst, tears, and really sucky writing (Cringes). Anyways, I'm trying to do better with this by changing up some things. One: I'm making this in third person. It just seems too confusing to switch the narrator around every few paragraphs and sometimes you don't even know who's talking. Two: I'm adding a couple characters. Hopefully it doesn't make it too bad but I feel that I can't have a sequel without some new people showing up. Three: I want to make the connection with _The Outsiders _more obvious. Maybe not so much as LOOK! IT'S JUST LIKE WHAT PONYBOY DID ON CHAPTER FIVE!!! but more about the parallel between the past and present situations. Four: To put it simply, I want to write better. So hit me with all the critique ya got!**

Disclaimer: S.E. Hinton owns _The Outsiders_. I own everyone else.

* * *

"When will it end?" he said to his companion. "When will everything just end?" 

Kira said nothing, for once. She didn't know the answer this time.

The two friends were at the school library spending their study hall at one of the large round tables waiting for time to pass. People shuffled about around them and others clacked away at the computers. Kira was holding a book out: _A Separate Peace_. She was supposed to be reading it for English class. She lost interest after the first page.

"Sometimes there is no end, " she said finally. "Sometimes you have to make your own ending."

The boy sulked at this answer.

"That's what I was afraid of."

Kira bit her lip. It hurt to see him suffer so much.

Another boy entered the library.

"I need to print something out," he told the librarian.

"Name?" the librarian asked.

"Cameron Talon."

Cameron's face showed signs of misery but most never dared to ask why. His blond hair was cut a little shorter from a recent trip to Supercuts. Both Kira and her friend recognized him. The boy averted his gaze immediately.

On his way to the computer, Cameron saw them. He knew the boy from his social studies class. He knew Kira, too. But not exactly in a positive light.

"Hey, Seth," Cam said.

Seth had his eyes covered by his black hair.

"Hey," he managed to respond.

"Hi… Kira," Cameron said slowly.

Kira smiled a little. "Long time no see, kid."

"Yeah," Cam said awkwardly. "How've… you been late lately?"

"Fine," Kira said. "You?"

"All right."

"Hey, do the Baileys miss me?" Kira asked. The Baileys were Cam's next-door neighbors. They used to be Kira's too.

"Yeah. Marcy still asks about you sometimes. Laser, too."

"He still insists on being called 'Laser'? Isn't he, like, eleven now?"

"Actually he's twelve."

"Oh. Well, tell them I said 'Hi' and that I miss 'em too," Kira said.

"Sure." Cam turned his attention to Seth. "So how's the history project going for you?"

"It sucks," Seth said. "Haven't even started." Seth had other things on his mind besides homework.

"Neither have I."

"Mr. Morton would be so proud to know his students are such hard-workers," Kira chimed in.

Cam and Seth rolled their eyes.

"Weren't you trying to print something?" the librarian said suddenly. She appeared right behind Cameron as if by magic.

"Oh… yeah. Sorry. I'm going to right now."

"Go do that," The librarian left as quickly as she came.

"See you guys later," Cam said before leaving as well.

There was a moment of silence before anything was said between Seth and Kira.

"So, what happened with you two? Didn't you say you guys were close?" Seth asked.

Kira bit her lip again. "It's a long story, Seth."

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**A/N: Here come the WTF?s Yeah, lots of stuff missing. Let me answer some of the questions for you. Where's Kendi? She'll be back, trust me. Where's RMC? See answer to previous question. Who's Kira? She was an old friend of Cam's but not anymore. Who's Seth? Someone totally new. His story will show soon. What just happened here? You'll just have to wait to find out. Any other question I'll be glad to answer if you put it in a review (Hah, I'm such a reviews whore…). If you remember how long it took me to update last story, well…. things haven't changed. It still takes me a million years to update. Sorry.**


	2. Distracted

**Chapter Two- Distracted**

**A/N: This has got to be the fastest I've ever updated something. Alert the media!**

**Yeah, I couldn't think of a better chapter title. Well, I'm trying to ease back into the characters and their stories and I want to fix some of the stuff that was wrong in the other story here. Enjoy.**

Disclaimer: I'm not S.E. Hinton.

* * *

"She's coming back tomorrow," Cam said on the way to school. His best friend, Rawley, was walking with him. "I can't believe it. She's really coming back." 

"She" was an old friend. Kendi. Two and a half weeks earlier, she'd been sent to a psychiatric hospital after an attempted suicide. Originally, it was to only be for two weeks, but her stay was extended in order to stay on the safe side.

"She is, huh?" Rawley said absentmindedly. He'd heard this speech before about a few days earlier before they found out she was staying a bit longer. "How do you know they won't make her stay longer again?"

"There's no way they can. They already said that she's fine. What reason do they have to keep her still?"

"Things like what Kendi's dealing with don't go away after two and a half weeks Cam. She'll still need help after she gets out."

"Geez, the one time I try to be optimistic, you shoot me down."

Rawley smiled. "I was just saying. Don't get your hopes up in case you find more scars on her arms."

"She went there to get better. Not to end up feeling worse."

"Look Cam. You shouldn't let your whole life revolve around one person. You might end up letting everyone else down," Rawley said drowsily. He didn't get a lot of sleep the night before.

"Sorry. What's up with you? Something wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just really tired. Roxie called this morning."

Cam didn't bother to ask. He knew Roxie well enough to know she did random stuff like that.

Language Arts wasn't too much to deal with. They were reading _A Separate Peace_ but Cam had already finished the entire book. The rest of the class was still on chapter six. It wasn't a hard book to read but Cam found it boring. He decided to get it over with and finish it and when the time came to predict what would happen next, he'd fake it. Cam didn't understand the ending at all but it wasn't important. If you got through the story, how important could the ending be?

Social studies came next, and Cam sat in his seat. Seth and Jarod sat in the two seats behind him.

"I heard she's coming back tomorrow," Jarod said. "Maybe they're just sick of keeping her there." He meant this in a joking way but Cam wasn't laughing.

"Who's coming back?" Seth asked. He sat right between Cam and Jarod.

"Just a friend, "Cam said.

"Oh."

Mr. Morton stood in front of his class.

"I hope you've all gotten some work done on your projects on Greece. It's due next week," he announced.

In unison, Seth, Jarod, and Cam muttered, "Shit."

"What am I going to do about this, Rawley?" Cam said to his friend on their way home later on.

"How about starting on it?" Rawley suggested.

"Well, I need a topic first."

"What's the project on again?" Rawley said in a bored tone.

"Ancient Greece."

"The Olympics."

"That's too easy."

"Exactly."

"Yeah but probably everyone will do it so I have to come up with something original."

"Well, think about it. Everyone will want to be original so they'll avoid using it and then that leaves it all open for you!" Rawley reasoned.

"Hmm…" Cam considered this idea but he knew he most likely wouldn't use it. "Hey, why weren't you at lunch today?" Cam asked changing the subject.

"I was at the library with Roxie."

"Why?"

"She wanted to give me my birthday present."

"Your birthday- SHIT!" Cam realized what day it was as if for the first time. "That's today isn't it?"

"Yeah." Rawley didn't seem to care about it but it bothered Cam.

"Why didn't you say something?" Cam asked.

"I figured that since Roxie called me at freakin' five in the morning, I'd had enough of birthday stuff."

"She called you at five?" Cam said at first. "Nevermind. Aren't you sixteen today?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't really matter. Not like I'm coming home to a brand new car or something."

"But still-,"

"It's fine, Cam, alright?"

"Oh… okay," Cam said. "But you're still getting your birthday punches!"

"You punch me, you die."

"Birthday punches? Who said anything about birthday punches?"

The boys laughed and Cam hoped their laughter would be enough to drown out his stupidity for forgetting his best friend's birthday. Sometimes, he could get so distracted with everything else.

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**A/N: Bad ending I know. But I had to find a way to write this. Yes, I am slow I know that. Aren't you guys used to it by now? Anyways, hope everyone liked it and if you did, review. If you didn't, review and tell me what you didn't like. It would help a lot, really.**


	3. Connections

**Chapter Three- Connections**

**A/N: Hopefully this might clear some things up. Enjoy.**

Disclaimer: I don't own _The Outsiders_.

* * *

Seth was shivering when he reached his bus stop. It was near the end of February but the winter weather showed no signs of ending. Seth checked his watch: 7:03.

_That damn bus is late again_, he thought while his teeth chattered uncontrollably. Even with his thick winter coat he was still shaking.

Finally the bus showed up at his corner and Seth moved his frozen body into the vehicle.

"Had trouble starting up this morning," the driver explained. It was the same excuse she used every winter morning.

Seth didn't care. He walked up the aisle and sat in the first empty seat he could find. The window was icy cold against his scalp as he leaned against the glass. Vibrations from the bus ride pulsed through his body.

As they rolled in on the lasts top, Seth wondered if she would be on the bus this time. He hadn't seen her in weeks, but he knew the reason. By now, everyone knew why Kendi Curtis hadn't been in school for so long. He couldn't blame her if she had transferred to another school. Some even said that she started attending the private school where her dad taught. Still, Seth held a tiny bit of hope that one day she'd board the bus again.

Seth closed his eyes. He was always tired.

"Hey," a familiar voice said.

Seth opened his eyes to see Kendi standing by his seat.

"Mind if I sit here?" she asked.

"Go ahead."

There was silence for a few moments before either of them could find something to say. When they did, both of them spoke at the same time.

"You first," Kendi offered.

Seth bit his lip before he could figure out what he wanted to say.

"How are you?" he said. Simple. Easy. Safe. It didn't hold any threat for him. Or for her at that matter.

"Been okay. You?"

"Same."

It went silent again but this time it was because they were both eyeing each other's arms. Seth knew Kendi's sleeves were for more than just warmth. His were the same way.

"So… were the able to 'cure' you?" Seth said trying not to sound mean.

Kendi hesitated for a moment. She knew the idea of professional help didn't appeal to Seth.

"No, not exactly. They didn't try to force me to stop. They just… I don't know. But it's not as bad as you would think."

"Oh," Seth said. "So you've stopped?"

Kendi fiddled with the hem of her sleeves. The scars were still there and would probably never fade.

"Not exactly," she said again. The conversation was getting too heavy. Neither of them felt comfortable talking about the one thing they shared so Kendi tried o change the subject. "Are you still going to that arts school?" she asked.

Seth went to the Avery Arts School for half his school day. He was a writer there.

"Yeah," he said, aware of her attempt at moving on. He glided his index finger across the back of the seat in front of him making up imaginary lines on the upholstery. "Why did you do it, Kendi?" he asked suddenly. He couldn't hold the words back any longer.

Kendi looked at Seth's finger one the seat. It was the only thing she could do to not look him in the eye.

"Do what?" Kendi said. She looked to her feet as if they had become the most interesting things in the world.

"You know what I'm talking about," Seth said, aggravated. "Why did you try to kill yourself?" _You were the only one who understood, and you tried to leave._

Kendi bit at the calluses on her fingertips. The only time she ever saw Seth during the year was in the ten-minute morning bus ride from her stop to the school. It was strange that their friendship lasted since they barely got a chance to talk. Still, they managed to get to know each other and share their personal secrets. Yet, there were still some things Kendi couldn't bring herself to disclose to Seth no matter how many times he had trusted her.

"I'm sorry I asked," Seth said as the bus pulled into the entrance of the school. _I was scared when I found out. Did you know that?_, he thought to himself.

"It's not your fault," Kendi said. She tried to find something else to talk about again. "Do your parents know yet?" she asked hoping he'd know what she meant.

"No" he said as they got off the bus. "And hopefully, they never will."

In class, Seth couldn't keep his eyes open. He was always tired.

But he could never find time to rest.

----

They hadn't seen each other in months but the random encounter wasn't exactly welcomed. A year earlier, they were the best of friends. Now, Kira and Cam barely spoke.

The library was closed that day so Kira was forced to go to her regular study hall. Her friend, Seth, had to go make up a test he missed a few days ago so she knew he wouldn't be there with her. What she didn't expect was to find Cam in her study hall as well. And that the only available seat was the one right next to him.

_I've been away from study hall longer than I thought_, Kira thought to herself.

They exchanged glances.

"Mind if I sit here?" Kira said fully aware of how awkward she sounded. It wasn't like Cam could do anything about it.

"No, go ahead," he said not looking up from his work. His geometry book was open and Cam was trying to work out the proofs in his notebook.

After a few moments of not talking, Kira decided to break the ice.

"Side, angle, side," she said.

"What?" Cam replied confused.

"You're supposed to prove that the two triangles are congruent by side angle side. Then you can say that triangle ABD is isosceles," Kira explained.

"Oh," Cam said as he wrote down the solution to the problem. "Are you a math whiz now?"

"No, I'm just good at proving the point."

"Then become a lawyer."

"Maybe, I will," Kira smirked.

Cam gave a half-smile back. Kira wondered if it would be a good time to try and bring back their old friendship.

"So, how's Dan?" she asked.

Cam just stared at her for a second.

"That was fast," he said. "Thought you'd wait a few problems before trying to catch up."

"Maybe I just like cutting to the chase," Kira replied.

"He's fine. So is Rodney. Do you know how to do number ten?"

Kira took a look at the problem.

"You have to draw line XZ and use the reflexive property."

Cam wrote down what Kira said and finished the rest of the problem. "Thanks," he said afterwards.

No problem." Kira crossed her legs and looked Cam in the eye. "I heard about your dad, Cameron." She only called him "Cameron" when the issue was really serious.

"You and the rest of the freshman class," Cam retorted. He broke the pencil he was writing with.

"You lied to me."

"I lied to everyone."

"Did you lie to Rawley?"

Cam hesitated. "No… but that's different."

"How?"

"It just is, all right?"

"You still lied." Kira looked down to the floor. "And you weren't very good at it either."

Cam walked to the pencil sharpener on the other side of the room. When he came back, he worked on another problem.

"Point B is a median making segments AB and BC congruent," Kira explained.

"Thanks," Cam grumbled more out of obligation that appreciation.

"We heard you guys fighting. God, Cam, did you think it was that much of a secret? One night, I thought he was going to kill you!" Kira felt a lump in her throat but did her best to swallow it. "My mom might've done something but every time she went to speak to your dad, he was always sober."

"He thinks no one will know if he covers it up," Cam said.

"Like father, like son," Kira conceded.

"I'm not like my father," Cam shot back.

"Maybe," Kira said.

"I'm done with this," Cam said putting back his geometry book and notebook in his backpack.

_This isn't done yet,_ Kira thought. She was never one to give up

_Flashback_

_A young girl nearing her eleventh birthday stood next to the how with the moving van at the front. She tilted her baseball cap down so as not to be noticed._

_"Kira, help me take some of these boxes inside!" a woman called from inside the van._

_Kira groaned as she trudged herself to help her mother. It was the beginning of October and middle school had already changed things._

_After settling in, Kira's older sister, Mia, called to her._

_"There's a couple of boys outside playing. They look like they're your age. Why don't you go meet them?" Mia suggested._

_"Eww… boys. No way," Kira replied._

_Mia rolled her eyes._

_"Just go out there and at least find out who they are," Mia insisted._

_"Fine," Kira groaned. She tilted her cap even further down in front of her eyes._

_There were two boys on the driveway next door. One had dark skin and black hair while the other was blond and pale._

Dark boy and light midget_, Kira thought noting the blond boy's miniscule size._

_They were playing with a basketball and a hoop that looked like it would fall over any second. Neither of them seemed to notice. They were too busy trying to steal the ball from each other. The dark-haired boy had an advantage because of his height but the smaller was one was quicker._

_Kira watched the game from underneath her hat. She didn't want to join them. She hated basketball._

_Suddenly, the blond boy stopped and looked at Kira's direction. He tried to say something but the rustling of autumn leaves in the breeze overpowered his small voice._

_"What?" Kira said wondering if the boy was even talking to her._

_The boy picked up the basketball and walked up to Kira. For the first time, Kira lifted her cap up out of curiosity._

_The boy held the ball towards her._

_"Do you want to play?" he said._

_Kira stared at the ball for a moment. The boy looked at her with the clearest gray eyes she'd ever seen. The other boy was still at the driveway waiting for his friend to come back and play. Kira thought about how this boy didn't even know her, yet he was holding a basketball towards her like he was her friend._

_"Okay," she said. And she took the ball from the boy's hands and attempted to dribble on the grass. The three kids played until Mia called Kira home for dinner._

_"So you still think boys are gross?" Mia asked teasingly._

_Kira looked up at her sister's mocking expression._

_"They're not bad… for boys, anyways."  
_

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**A/N: It's not funny, I know. But come on, I need to give some kind of background before I send them to the trash can! Read and Review! Critique welcomed! Opinions welcomed!**


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